Save the Children Philippines launches online fundraising campaign “I Pledge to Save the Children

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Save the Children Philippines launches the “I Pledge to Save the Children” campaign that aims to raise funds for programs that will help children learn, survive, and be protected every day and in times of emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

In celebration of the child rights organization’s 40 years of lifesaving work for and with children in the Philippines, individuals and groups are invited to make a pledge to save the children by simply visiting Save the Children’s giving platform, selecting the program they wish to support, and setting up their own fundraising pages.

The pandemic exacerbated the challenges children have been facing in terms of education, health and nutrition, and protection. In 2020, 2.73 million learners were not able to enroll according to the Department of Education. Health and nutrition of children are also being compromised with the disruption to health center operations and the inability of many families to meet their basic food requirements due to loss of income and livelihood.

Donations collected from the campaign will all support Save the Children’s programs that seek to address these issues by giving children and their families access to learning kits, health and nutrition services, parenting support materials, and hygiene essentials and clean water.

“The rights of children must not be forgotten even as we face challenging times. With our four decades of experience working for and with children, we remain determined to deliver lifesaving programs that will meet their emerging needs,” said Atty. Alberto Jesus Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines.

The organization’s ambassadors Xia Vigor, Katarina Rodriguez, Ria Atayde, and Liza Soberano are leading the campaign and have set up their own fundraising pages. Xia Vigor will be supporting children’s continued education while Katarina Rodriguez’s fundraiser benefits the monitoring of young children’s nutritional status. Ria Atayde made a pledge to help keep children and families safe during the pandemic while Save the Children’s latest ambassador, Liza Soberano will raise funds to provide children and their families the necessary support to adjust to the new normal.

“Being a supporter of the organization myself for the past years, I have seen how the collective action of donors can bring meaningful change in the lives of children. We are calling on everyone who can, to support our programs for children by either making a direct donation or setting up your own fundraising page,” said Soberano.

Other celebrity supporters of the organization who have made the pledge to save the children include Andi Eigenmann, Pia Wurtzbach, Bianca Guidotti, Carla Lizardo, Adrian Lindayag, and journalist Angela Lagunzad, among others.

To donate or set up your own “I Pledge to Save the Children” fundraiser, please visit: https://www.simplygiving.com/nonprofit/SavetheChildrenPH

International Silent Film Festival Manila Launches Silent Film Competition on its 15th Year

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Mit Out Sound, the country’s first film lab on silent filmmaking, will culminate with a Silent Short Film Competition at the International Silent Film Festival Manila in November

On its 15th year, the International Silent Film Festival Manila (ISFFM) has stepped up efforts to promote silent filmmaking in the Philippines by establishing Mit Out Sound (MOS): International Silent Film Lab 2021

The ISFFM is a joint partnership among the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Embassy of France in Manila, Philippine Italian Association, Goethe-Institute Philippinen, Instituto Cervantes de Manila, and Japan Foundation, Manila.

Established in 2007, the ISFFM is among the few remaining silent film festivals in the world and the first and oldest Southeast Asian silent film festival. It is an awaited cultural event among cinephiles and music lovers as it brings together film classics and Filipino musicians on the same stage to perform and reinterpret stories.

Through the online MOS: International Silent Film Lab, the ISFFM aims to encourage the production of silent films and discover new talents who will be mentored by local and international filmmakers on story development, editing, technicalities, and other elements of silent filmmaking to better translate their visual narratives.

The ISFFM committee will choose 10 filmmakers to undergo the intensive MOS film lab. The FDCP, through its Film Cultural Exchange Program (FCEP), will conduct all MOS activities, including the Visual Storytelling Lab, Safe Filming Lab, and Editing Lab sessions that will be held via Zoom.

Participants will each be awarded a production grant worth PHP 50,000 to produce their silent shorts that will premiere at the Silent Short Film Competition in the 15th ISFFM in November 2021.

During the festival’s culmination, incentive awards will also be given: Best Film Award (PHP 20,000 with trophy and certificate), Jury’s Special Prize Award (PHP 10,000 with trophy and certificate), and Jose Nepomuceno Award (PHP 15,000 with trophy and certificate).

“Philippine Cinema has lost most of its early silent films. This sad reality inspired the creation of the first Mit Out Sound: International Silent Film Lab in order to revive the interest in silent filmmaking and enhance the expertise of Filipino filmmakers in creating unique and quality films,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.

She noted that silent filmmaking is crucial in the history of Philippine Cinema because the first movie produced and directed by a Filipino, “Dalagang Bukid” by Jose Nepomuceno, was a silent film. The classic’s release date of September 12, 1919 was the basis of the declaration of Sine Sandaan or One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema.

Since the production of silent films only appeals to a few filmmakers, the ISFFM has issued a nationwide call for entries by amateur and professional filmmakers aged 16 and above.

With the theme “Reimagining the Past with the Present,” the MOS: International Silent Film Lab seeks to celebrate film retrospective and pay homage to Philippine silent cinema. Submissions must present the filmmakers’ artistic and contemporary reimagination and recreation of any of the following Filipino silent film classics:

● “Dalagang Bukid” by Jose Nepomuceno

● “Ang Tatlong Hambog” by Jose Nepomuceno

● “Ang Manananggal” by Jose Nepomuceno

● “Moro Pirates” by Jose Nepomuceno

● “Mang Tano, Nuno ng mga Aswang” by Jose Nepomuceno

● “Tianak” by Jose Nepomuceno

● “Mali-Mali” by Jose Nepomuceno

● “Estrellita del cine” by Jose Nepomuceno

● “Miracles of Love” by Vicente Salumbides

● “Patria Amore” by Julian Manansala

● “Oriental Blood” by Carmen Concha

 

Interested filmmakers should submit the following requirements in an organized Google Drive folder with a shared viewing setting to specialprojects@fdcp.ph until June 18, 2021:

 

● Presentation deck of the story treatment (Applicants may submit a maximum of two treatments.)

● Accomplished application form

● Official government ID

● Portfolio of past works

 

To download the application form and view the full mechanics, visit https://www.fdcp.ph/mitoutsound and for inquiries, contact Ms. Julienne Calugcug at jmcalugcug.fdcp@gmail.com or specialprojects@fdcp.ph.

Long-term study proves BENEO’s Orafti®Synergy1 reduces infection duration for infants in first year of life

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

A recently published study from an EU-funded project[i] demonstrates that the prebiotic enrichment of infant formula milk with oligofructose-enriched inulin (Orafti®Synergy1) reduces the duration of infections in the first year of a baby’s life.

The study is part of the EARNEST[ii] project (EARly Nutrition programming-long term follow up of Efficacy and Safety Trials), an EU-funded integrated initiative. It was conducted across multiple sites and was a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. It involved 160 healthy term infants who were exclusively formula-fed and aged younger than 4 months at the outset of the study. The infant formula was either enriched with 0.8 g/100 mL of BENEO’s Orafti®Synergy1, a chicory root derived prebiotic, or an unsupplemented control formula. These were given until the babies were 12 months old.

The findings showed that both formulas were well-tolerated and safe. However, the babies that consumed the infant formula enriched with Orafti®Synergy1 had significantly shorter infection episodes, compared to the control group. In addition, the total daily crying time for those consuming the prebiotic formula was lower and their stools were significantly softer throughout the 12-month period.

Anke Sentko, Vice President Regulatory Affairs & Nutrition Communication at BENEO, comments: “The research results are especially exciting because they reflect the first year in a baby’s life for the first time and show that the duration of infections was significantly reduced by the group consuming formula enriched with Orafti®Synergy1. Without a doubt, this is good news for both babies and their parents. With the right choice of ingredients, formulas can be improved by enriching them with prebiotic oligofructose-enriched inulin and brought closer to the gold standard of breast-feeding.”

This is the third study using 0.8 g/100 mL Orafti®Synergy1 with infants proving safety, good tolerance and health benefits, but is the first study with Orafti®Synergy1 of such a long duration. It also adds to the growing evidence of the positive effects of prebiotics on a baby’s gut microbiota linked to their inner defence system. In this respect, a healthy colonisation of the gut microbiota with beneficial bacteria seems to be of high importance for the proper development of the immune system.

As a recognised prebiotic, oligofructose-enriched inulin, BENEO’s Orafti®Synergy1, feeds beneficial Bifidobacteria in the gut and thus positively influences the microbiota. Breast-fed babies’ microbiota is characterised by a high count of Bifidobacteria, which positively influences the gut environment. While not every child is able to benefit from breast feeding, this study shows that with the prebiotic enrichment of infant formula, it is possible for them to gain a stronger inner defence system, improved stool consistency and other benefits.